The University Singers, Treble Choir, and UW Glee Club present an eclectic program of music from around the world, folk tunes, and arrangements of popular music standards.
Program
GLEE
Directed By:
David Ferguson - DMA Student
Adam Freemantle- MM Student
Egija Claire - MM Student
Collaborative Pianist - Steve Swanson
Santiana
Sea Shanty, arranged by Sean Barnette
Rīta un vakara dziesma (Morning and Evening Song)
Music: Raimonds Tiguls
Poetry: Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce
Prairie Spring
Music: Isaac Lovdahl
Text: Willa Cather
Stand Up (from Harriet: The Musical)
Music and Lyrics by Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell
UNIVERSITY SINGERS
Directed by:
Michael McKenzie - DMA Student
Alexandra Rameau - MM Student
Collaborative Pianist - Steve Swanson
Lumen
Music: Abbie Betinis
Heart of Stone
Words and Music: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, arr. Andy Beck
Chasing Visions
Words and Music: Don Macdonald
Glory Bound
Words and Music: Ruth Moody, ad. Michael McKenzie
TREBLE CHOIR
Directed by:
Helen Woodruff - MM Student
Heidi Blythe - DMA Student
Collaborative Pianist, Steve Swanson
Song of Miriam
Elaine Hagenberg
Landslide
Stevie Nicks, arr. Mary Anne Muglia
Light of a Clear Blue Morning
Dolly Parton, arr. Craig Hella Johnson
Soloist: Mari Hirayama
Trio: Helen Chen, Sydney Jordan, LJ LeBlanc
Instrumentalist: Ling Yang
Hope is a Thing With Feathers
Emma Lou Diemer
COMBINED CHOIRS
Journey On
Words and Lyrics by Derrick Fox
GLEEEzra Acevedo UNIVERSITY SINGERSAiden Clegg TREBLE CHOIRHaruka Abe |
Conductor Biographies
Heidi Blythe (she/they) has sung professionally with the Byrd Ensemble, Radiance, SoundCity Singers, and the St. James Cathedral Cantorei. Heidi appeared as alto soloist for Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, and Considering Matthew Shepard.
An experienced choral director, Heidi is the assistant conductor of Seattle Pro Musica, a nationally recognized ensemble which won the Margaret Hillis award for Choral Excellence and the ASCAP Choral Award for Adventurous Programming. Heidi currently works with SPM's Chroma and Orpheon ensembles. She recently directed the Fauré Requiem for the Music Guild at St. Thomas Episcopal Church with soloists Charles Robert Stephens and Natalie Ingrisano.
Heidi spent thirteen years as the Director of Music at University Congregational United Church of Christ, leading a music program that encompassed seven ensembles and as many as 180 participants a year. A passionate advocate of congregational music-making, Heidi presented a workshop on multi-generational music at the national convention of the United Church of Christ Musicians Association. She twice served as music director for the Pacific Northwest Conference of the UCC.
Heidi provided rehearsal direction for the Seattle Symphony Chorale at the behest of associate conductor Christian Knapp. She was the Gregg Smith Singers’ first choral fellow at the Adirondack Festival of American music, singing with the ensemble under Gregg’s direction, as well as that of Margaret Hillis, Vance George, and Dave Brubeck. She was a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, working on a joint project on American musicals with the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American History.
Heidi received a Masters in Choral Music Education from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, where she studied voice with John Gillas and John Charles Pierce, and studied conducting with Sandra Snow and Jerry Blackstone. She was the recipient of the Margaret V. Hood prize and appeared on the Classical GRAMMY-winning album “Songs of Innocence and Experience”. While at Smith College, she studied voice with Jane Bryden and organ with Grant Moss, and was the recipient of the Harriet Dey Barnum and Sarah H. Hamilton prizes in music, and the Imogene Mahony Memorial and Constance Kambour Edwards prizes for organ.
Heidi lives in Seattle with her spouse, Owen, and her children, Felix and Oscar.
Photo credit: Danielle Barnum Photography
Egija Claire (she/her) is an international conductor from Latvia, and she is known for her passion for uniting people through music. Egija is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington. Known for her strong leadership skills and talent for organizing large-scale events, Egija has worked with ensembles across continents, blending cultural traditions and musical excellence. Her most memorable experience was conducting a choir of over 1,000 singers at Toronto’s renowned Roy Thomson Hall during the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.
Egija’s career highlights her expertise in both choral and orchestral settings. Her extensive training and performance experience, including organizing tours and festivals, reflect her dedication to creating meaningful musical experiences. With a background rooted in the rich choral traditions of Latvia and honed by international collaborations, she excels in bringing communities together through the power of music. Egija is committed to fostering connection, artistic excellence, and cultural exchange in every project she leads.
Adam Freemantle (he/him/his) is a graduate student of choral conducting at the University of Washington. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Adam attended Shorewood High School in Shoreline, WA where he spent the majority of his time involved with the performing arts including choir, band and theater. He then completed his undergraduate studies at Western Washington University where he graduated Magna cum laude in Music Education and Vocal Performance. After student teaching with Justin Wisness at Rogers High School, he taught choir at Maple View Middle School in the Tahoma School District.
Currently, Adam currently co-directs the UW Glee Club and sings in Chamber Singers, Recital Choir, and Cohort Ensemble. Outside of his work at UW, Adam also directs the Youth and Children's choirs at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church and is an assistant football coach at Tahoma High School (Go Bears).
Michael McKenzie is an international award-winning conductor and music educator, whose work centers around the power that choral music has to affect social change. They serve as a Managing Director of Voices for Social Justice, a national nonprofit organization whose work combines social activism with justice-centered artistic expression through performance, resources, and community collaboration. Outside of VFSJ, Michael serves as the Director of Music at Magnolia United Church of Christ. Most recently, they served as Director of the Bellevue Chamber Chorus during their gold medal winning performance at the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
Michael is currently pursuing their DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington School of Music. Prior to this, they graduated with an MM in Choral Conducting, with honors, from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University – Long Beach. There, Michael served as the director of ConChord, a student community chorus, and as a teaching assistant for the University Choir and Bob Cole Chamber Choir. For their Master's Recital, Michael earned honorable mention as a finalist for the American Prize's Dale Warland Award for Collegiate Choral Conductors.
Michael was the Founder and Director of two Social Justice Choirs at Gustavus Adolphus College, and their performances earned them 2nd place in The American Prize for Choral Conducting - Community Division and an invitation to present a concert at The 2020 Nobel Conference. Michael graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College, summa cum laude, in 2019 with a BA in Music Education and certification in K-12 Vocal, Instrumental, and Classroom music. Michael is a member of the Music Honors Society Pi Kappa Lambda and the Education Honors Society Kappa Delta Pi, and holds professional affiliations with the American Choral Director’s Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the National Associate for Music Education.
Miami-born Alexandra Rameau is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida International University and has built a distinguished career in music education and choral performance. Before relocating to the Pacific Northwest, Rameau worked with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where she dedicated herself to fostering musical literacy among young learners while creating a nurturing, community-centered environment.
Rameau’s professional experience includes working with the Master Chorale of South Florida, a renowned symphony chorus that has performed a diverse repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Broadway, and Bach to Bernstein.
Guided by a strong teaching philosophy, Rameau believes in the transformative power of music education and performance. Her goal is to instill in her students not only technical proficiency but also the ability to convey a powerful musical message. As one of the co-directors of the University Singers, she brings an infectious passion for musical diversity and a spirit of joy to the ensemble, creating an atmosphere where every voice is heard and celebrated.
Helen Woodruff is a graduate student at the University of Washington, pursuing her MM in Choral Conducting. She is passionate about approaching choral music from new perspectives. She is strongly rooted in music education and thrives for choral music to be accessible to all, pursuing creative ways for singing to be experienced.
Helen believes that we are all born with the innate desire to use our voices. Singing fulfills a universal and fundamental desire to express ourselves and to connect with others. It is the greatest way to convey culture, history, community, and personal expression in a way that is accessible to all because the voice is an instrument that we carry with ourselves daily. She finds substantial power in the collective human voice, which is why she is drawn with such strength to conducting and facilitating this expression and communication.
Currently, Helen co-conducts the Treble Choir and works with the University Chorale. Prior to this, she graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BM in Music Business. After her undergraduate degree, she spent four years in California at the Harker School teaching K-12 general music, string orchestra, choir, and musical theater.